Dark Inferno
by LarkspiritofForestClan
Summary: Hoping to meet the cat she loves, she is greeted by another. But this meeting breaks her more than any battle wound ever could. One shot between my characters Redheart and Witherstar from my Path of Hearts series. Read and review!


**Hey ! Here's a one-shot I wrote for a friend's writing challenge, but I didn't exactly follow the rules. But, it's still something I don't mind anyone reading! It's between my characters Redheart and Withersoul/star. You know what is going on at this part if you had read Path of Hearts; I just put more dialogue in this part. It's short but I didn't make it explicit, but it is kind of inappropriate (?), but I hope you all still like it! ^-^**

**Dark Inferno**

Shadows of evening were falling as a beautiful dark red she-cat followed a small line of trees away from her Clan territory. Her heart pounded with nervousness and excitement as she neared her destination. From time to time she would look back; making sure no other cat could see her. The small shrubs and bushes were big enough to hide her, but she didn't want to take the chance. Soon she came to the clearing were she would meet the tom she had feelings for ever since her apprenticeship. No one was there when she arrived, so she sat down patiently.

After she sat there for a little bit, she became a little more nervous. _Maybe I'm just a little early, that's all. _She thought optimistically, _he promised he'd be here. _The sounds of paw-steps that came from the trees outside of the neighboring Clan's territory made Redheart prick her ears. She turned her attention to the lush trees to see if it was who she was waiting for.

But instead of the tall-reddish brown tom she had been expecting, it was her friend, Withersoul. She tilted her head in confusion.

"Withersoul, why are you here? Where is Pinefoot?" She asked as he drew near. The ghostly white tom said nothing as he stepped in front of her. Usually he was polite and kind, but now his dark eyes gleamed at her, and she backed away in the dirt uncomfortably.

"He is not coming." He said, following her. His sharp, icy voice sent fearful shivers down her spine. She bumped into a large and thick bush that stopped her from moving anywhere else. She looked in Withersoul's dark black eyes fearfully. They shone drastically against his white fur, but were not handsome, only petrifying. The tom glared at her coldly.

"Withersoul, why are you acting like this?" She asked him another question. His lip curled into a ferocious snarl. His eyes became like black fire.

"You are a traitor!" He snarled at her. She crouched to the ground in fear. Her fur fluffed up and stared up at him.

"I- I am not a traitor!" She snapped back at him. He growled and let his teeth show. She cringed.

"Just because I like Pinefoot does not mean I am betraying the Clan!" Rage grew on Withersoul's face, and the fire in his eyes became a dark inferno.

"It is _exactly_ that!" He roared. "I hoped you wouldn't come here! I thought you were loyal!" He gulped in air breathlessly and glared at her.

"You were _testing_ me?" Redheart gasped. "You _knew _I liked him for a long time, Withersoul! Why would you lie to me? I thought we were friends!"

Withersoul shook his head slowly. "I did too. Apparently we were both wrong." He crept closer to her and narrowed his eyes down at her once he was above her.

"I guess I have to make you loyal. No cat would think you would betray your Clan." He meowed in an eerie calm, his black eyes flashing.

"What do you mean-"Redheart's eyes widened as he grabbed her by the scruff and began dragging her in the dirt and then into the trees farther away from both territories.

"Let me go! Please, just let me go!" She screeched at him.

He ignored her screams of terror. She wriggled between his jaws, but he clenched them shut tight and his teeth pressed into her skin.

He threw her onto the dirt and pinned her. She looked at him with wide and fearful eyes. Then they narrowed and shone with darkness. She knew what was going to happen but wasn't going down with a fight. She jumped up and slashed him across the face with unsheathed claws drawing a long line of blood. She took the advantage of his yowl of pain to run back closer to the territories. A heartbeat after she ran, he pounded after her and made her escape short lived.

Redheart quit struggling and let her be brought to her fate. The betrayal of her friend crushed any hope of being with Pinefoot whatsoever. _I will never be good enough anymore. _She looked back at the heartless tom. He smiled at her coldly, his smile giving her chills.

"_I hate you."_ She hissed at him when she finally gave up all will of resistance. The feeling of betrayal was stronger and far worse than any sort of pain that could be inflicted upon her.


End file.
